I’m not afraid to admit that yours truly and cowboy boots are not a good fit and that I have never worn one of those fancy 10 gallon hats but after hanging around the action for more than 50 years, I still get excited when it comes time for another Ponoka Stampede!
This 2012 edition of our rootin’ tootin’ rodeo classic from June 26 to July 2 has been tabbed as the Wild, Wild West of 36 Lives On, and it promises to present yet another really big show, following the footsteps of the great 75th celebration from last time around!.
As always, the Ponoka Stampede Association will strive to carry on the same exciting rodeo and family traditions that have been featured up on those grounds and around our friendly community for the past 75 exciting summers. Of course, through all those decades a few changes have been made since the first two-day showdown hit the infield in 1936 but it has always been a thrilling event full of rodeo thrills, wagon races, a noisy midway, mile-long parade, dancing, beer gardens, casino, top-notch entertainment and all the rest for one whole wild week. The theme of this Stampede edition with be a salute to Alberta’s lucrative and long-standing oil and gas industry — and everyone is welcome to join in on the fun.
Over all those years, our town and county, as always, will be super hosts for all facets of the exciting event, as they throw out the welcome mat for thousands of visitors from near and far, starting with yummy early morning wake-up pancake breakfasts and special events, then closing with spectacular fireworks displays at night, and all sorts of red hot action in between. Here are just a few of the highlights of which memories are made of, and no matter what you wear or what attraction you may choose, you are going to have a great time!
• As a kid I used to love hanging around the grounds looking for loose change, visiting the jam-packed campgrounds and later trying to be very brave on the midway. Most of you will remember challenging the Zipper, the Salt and Pepper Shaker, and the tall Ferris wheel, with the screaming girls hanging on for dear life. How great it was to spend half of your allowance winning a fluffy bunny for your honey, daring to go in the haunted house, or stuffing ourselves with greasy midway treats — especially candy floss and dunked donuts. Now, I am quite happy to watch everyone else have fun or make a fool of themselves, and might even take the grandkids on one of those slower rides.
• Of course as hosts of Canada’s largest seven-day pro-rodeo, Ponoka will attract the very best professional and amateur rodeo contestants and wagon rigs from throughout Canada, North America, and afar, all vying for a big bucks and buckles against the toughest stock in the rodeo world and a lightning fast track. All of this thrilling action will be complemented by the most knowledgeable commentators in the sport (Dr. Lynn Phillips, Les McIntyre and Tim Edge), the best rodeo stock contractors on the CPRA-PRCA circuit, the colorful antics of the highly skilled rodeo clowns and bull fighters (Scott and Jessie Byrne, and CrAsh Cooper), and speciality infield acts such as Jerry Wayne Olson.
• Well known entertainers for this 2012 showdown will include: Charlie Major on June 26 at 6:30 p.m. where someone will also win a Dodge truck; Billy Currington on June 28 at 6:30 p.m.; the annual talent show on June 27 (Seniors Day) at 6:30 p.m., free live bands until the wee hours up at the Stagecoach Saloon at night; and of course a whole lot of socializing and dancing at the gala beer gardens on the evenings of June 29 and 30 starting at 8:30 p.m.
• The exciting mile-long parade will wind through the streets of Ponoka on Friday, June 29 at 10 a.m., which is also Encana’s kiddies day and an opportunity to wear red in support of our Canadian forces. If you enjoy western art at its finest, you can pop into the art show June 29 to July 1 at the Complex, the same location for the popular Ponoka Farmers’ Market on June 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Don’t forget to be ‘tough enough to wear pink’ for Breast Cancer Awareness on June 28, to attend the delightful annual Ponoka Stampede Challenge on June 30 (11 a.m.) in the grandstand infield; and to check all the brochures and the Ponoka News for all the other great family events available this time around.
Our annual Stampede celebration is also an ongoing salute to the hundreds of community sponsors and volunteers who have worked together with the Ponoka Stampede Association to make the event such a tremendous success, rain or shine. So gather the whole gang together for more of the same fun as we roar into summer, and have a great week, all of you!